The “Dear Frontline” Project Lets Folks Thank Essential Workers with Art

Shana Nys DambrotArts

J. Michael Walker for Dear FrontlineDas Frank for Dear FrontlineIda Woldemichael for Dear FrontlineBuena Johnson for Dear FrontlineJon Lion for Dear FrontlineChris Stain for Dear FrontlineFavianna Rodriguez for Dear FrontlineFake for Dear FrontlineChristian Rincon for Dear FrontlineMichael Massenburg for Dear FrontlineBrian H. for Dear FrontlineBrian Herrera for Dear FrontlineThomas Wimberly for Dear FrontlineRobertson for Dear FrontlineDan Buller for Dear FrontlineKate Dececcio for Dear FrontlineHalle Robbins for Dear FrontlineMatt Brunton for Dear FrontlineRichard Rodriguez for Dear FrontlineShepard Fairey for Dear Frontline

These days we are all looking for ways to help. The best thing you can do of course is to stay home and be safely distant when you’re out. If able, you can donate money or mask-sewing to the best of your ability. And there’s also a lot to be said for the power of making art and the meaningful gesture of saying thank you.

Since mid-April, Dear Frontline has been curating a growing online gallery of images by well-known contemporary artists, celebrating the tireless efforts of the people keeping it all together, organized on a platform designed to generate digital postcards and custom GIFs. It’s free to use and anyone can dedicate the image(s) of their choice to their regional essential workers like medical professionals, delivery services, food supply and transportation workers, social workers and educators — and accompany the “postcards” with personal notes.

The gallery of works is already impressive, and in keeping with their mission empowering social justice through art, they have a perfectly timed drop of five new works, including one from Shepard Fairey, on Friday, May 1 in honor of May Day, a.k.a. International Workers Day.

The project creators at Soze Agency and Big Bowl of Ideas describe Dear Frontline as, “created to facilitate and inform artistic expressions as a constant shining of a light on the risk-taking work taking place and addressing the critical issues and concerns that these workers face every day.” That’s why in addition to the digital postcard campaign, they’ll be placing large-scale versions of the art and notes in coronavirus hot spots like Seattle, New York, New Orleans, Detroit, the Bay Area — and Los Angeles.

Find out more at dearfrontline.com.

Twitter @DearFrontline

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